The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "Democratic Party" ...
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Center: Policy or Politics?
This story examined the political connections between former Colo. Giv. Bill Ritter and the funding of the Center for New Energy Economy, which he is the director of. A web of connections between the center, Ritter, and the Colo. Democratic Party were found that shows that Ritter's role at CSU could be a polarizing, political one and could align CSU- a public university- in controversial Democratic politics.
Tags: Colorado Democratic Party; Bill Ritter; New Energy Efconomy; Colorado State University
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Tax Travesty
Philadelphia property taxes levies were plagued with inequalities aimed at gaining favor of residents with political clout. Overall, the investigation uncovers how the mission of the Board of Revision of Taxes, which is to accurately assess property values, failed because of consistent practice of undervaluing the homes of wealthy residents.
Tags: Philadelphia; homes; property taxes; assessment; Democratic Party; political; wealthy; property owners;
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Guard Approves Donor Democrats for Flights in F-16
"The commander of the Indiana National Guard, Maj. Gen. George A. Buskirk, approved flights on an F-15 fighter jet for mostly major Democrat contributors and party activists." Previous commanders did not grant so many special flights; the increase seems even more shady once one realizes that Buskirk himself is a large contributor to Indiana Democrats. He justified many of the flights by saying that the person had some something good for either Indiana or the National Guard, but his excuses didn't hold up to scrutiny.
Tags: campaign donations; bribes; political favors; partisan politics; national guard; army; planes; campaign contributions
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Political Donations
The Hamilton Spectator in this series of stories investigates how political parties received donations more than what is legally accepted. As the investigations reveal the parties used various loopholes to maximize the funds from generous supporters. The reporters found that political parties were accepting funds from commonly-owned companies, which went over the maximum - legal gifts that could be given to political parties.
Tags: Political parties; campaign finance; New Democratic Party; left front in Canada; Ontario political parties; Canadian constituencies; Tories; elections in Ontario
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Queens County judgeships: No Republicans need apply
This series looked at the election process for state and city judges in Queens. After two months of investigation, the reporters found that the Queens County Democratic Organization and its chairman, are in firm control of who makes it to the bench in the borough's state and city courts. The Democrats have an unbroken record of winning judicial elections, going back to at least 1990. The investigation also found the chairman of the Queens County Democratic Organization, also a lawyer, can gain lucrative appointments and contracts from their friends on the bench.
Tags: Queens County Democratic Organization; judicial elections; election process; state judges; city judges; bribery; Brooklyn judiciary; Brooklyn Democratic party; election records; campaign finance; Queens County Bar Association; Association of the Bar of the City of New York; Queens County; Queens State Supreme Court; Office of Court Administration; New York City Civil Court; Commission to Promote Public Confidence in Judicial Elections; judgeship; Queens Treatment Court; Mayor Michael Bloomberg; Queens County Republican Party; Commission on Judicial Conduct
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Some donors get new posts
The investigation found that people who contributed to Gov. Jeb Bush's campaign and major donors to the Republican Party of Florida were far more likely to get plum appointments to the state's powerful boards and commissions during the Bush tenure than those who contributed t the Florida Democratic Party of Bush's opponents.
Tags: Governor Jeb Bush; Republican Party of Florida; Florida Democratic Party; appointees; elected officials; Commission on Ethics; Division of Elections; Common Cause of Florida; Florida Prepaid College Board; Judicial Qualifications Commission; Land Acquisition and Facilities Advisory Board; Miami-Dade County School Board District; Governor's Mansion Foundation; Overseas Private Investment Corporation; Prison Rehabilitative Industries; Diversified Enterprises Board
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Guard Approves Donor Democrats for Flight in F-16
The commander of the Indiana National Guard approved flights on an F-16 fighter jet for mostly major Democrat contributors or party activists
Tags: None
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Dunning the dead in Brooklyn
The Daily News reports on corruption in the Brooklyn Surrogate's Court. Specifically, according to the contest entry summary, judge "Michael Feinberg approved millions of dollars in undocumented and exorbitant legal fees to a private sector lawyer and longtime friend who had earlier got appointed to handle the estate of dead, interstate Brooklynites."
Tags: real estate; conflicts of interest; campaign finance reports; tax records; Kings County Democratic Party; FOI
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Courting Big Money
The Buffalo News explains "how judicial elections, specifically State Supreme Court, are financed in New York state." The newspaper found that "judges and judicial candidates in the eighth judicial district in Western New York were forced to take part in an election system that turned them into fundraisers for the major political parties. Even those candidates who were cross-endorsed by the major parties, who had no election opponents, raised money that was then donated to various candidates for office. This occured despite a ban on judges making direct political donations. A loophole allowing judges to buy tickets to political events was used, with tickets costing as much as $1,000. And most of the money was raised from attorneys, who one day might appear before these very judges."
Tags: New York State Supreme Court; judges; judicial districts; loophole; campaign finance; attorneys; major parties; Democrats; Republicans; courts
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State Secrets: An investigation of political party money in the states
An campaign finance investigation by the Center for Public Integrity revealed, among other things, that the Democratic and Republican state party committees raised $570 million in the 2000 election cycle and that nearly half -- 46 percent -- of that money came in the form of "soft money" transfers from national party organizations.
Tags: Republicans; Democrats; campaign finance; 2000; election cycle; soft money; online; CD